Sunday Downtime - All Evolve Media Sites are being migrated to a new data center Sunday Dec 11, 2016. The migration will occur during an 8 AM to 2 PM (Pacific Time) maintenance window. We will have up to 1 hour of downtime for any of our sites.

This team is never going to do a full rebuild as long as Dolan owns them. We can fantasize about what one might look like, but its not going to happen.

Also, to talk about rebuilding now and to have firm opinions on who should go based on a handful is games is the same knee-jerk strategy Sather uses. You don't make decisions like that based on a half dozen games.

Unfortunately, last year was the year players should have been traded away. The problem is that everyone's contract is expiring, and that, plus everyone's putrid play, will minimize any returns the Rangers would get if the season goes down the crapper and Sather decides to have a fire sale.

It would be like 2003-2004 all over again, when the Rangers unloaded a bunch of guys with expiring contracts and ended up with nothing to show for it but a bunch of second and third round picks and mid-level prospects.

Also, just remember that the same brain trust that constructed this team would be selecting the players coming back and choosing with the extra draft picks.

My ultimate dream would be for us to trade one of our defensemen and a prospect for Yakupov. Suck badly enough this year to draft Ekblad. Instant rebuild. I know it will never happen but fantasy is much better than reality at this point.

Here's how you work towards fixing the team without blowing the whole thing up

Buy out Brad Richards

Agree. Pleased he has picked it up a bit so far, but I'm not overly impressed and he is nowhere near the $$. If he would void the contract on his own, voluntarily, for this year, for a similar buy-out, I would do it. [Of course, makes too much sense for league to allow this sort of thing; player gets to make new contract w/team where wanted, and Rangers would get instant cap relief. Ok, so we should have done this before (with the amnesty), we'll wait for that window when the amnesty is re-authorized.]

Quote:

Lindberg, Kreider, and Miller are ready next year. Doesn't matter if someone in the organization disagrees, they're playing for the New York Rangers through their mistakes and youth.

If we get rid of our deadwood (Pyatt) and otherwise create space be repurposing some of our vets, we can create opportunities with significant NHL minutes for these guys NOW, today.

The AV system works, There is a proven track record it does.
But it requires speed. The other guys are not fast enough, but
Kreider -- Miller -- Cally speed kills line
Hagelin -- Lindberg -- Fast Swede line, also pretty fast
gets you most of the way there.

Quote:

Pick up a cheap UFA that adds some top 6 talent, such as Linus Omark (you could prob get for league minimum or close to it)

No thanks, do not want.

Trade MDZ for a draft pick.
Would do trade MDZ for best return, but not give away.
May have to take a little less and package w/somebody but get a serious upgrade.

Quote:

Use new cap space from Richards/MDZ trades for a guy like Steve Downie/Winnik.

These are 3, 4th line Moore at C. Then depends who is left over.
Expect most our our guys traded, want to see Hrivik, Yogan get a shot.
Asham looked good in camp, but not clear he can last the whole year.
Dorsett? gotta show me something.
Pouillot ditto
Boyle, ok for draw and flip to LW, but better to trade

Yes, I flipped Nash to make it easier for Kristo.

Stepan is not there. I think we should try for a super deal, something like Girardi for Leaf's 1st +, then get a stud RD from Preds (Seth Jones) or Buffalo (Ristolainen) for which we would have to pay Stepan + MDZ +.